Pride and Prejudice

Key

FID

indirect

intro to FID or indirect

Chapter 45

Convinced as Elizabeth now was that Miss Bingley's dislike of
her had originated in jealousy,she could not help feeling how very unwelcome her
appearance at Pemberley must be to her,andwas curious to know with how much civility on
that lady's side the acquaintance would now be renewed.

On reaching the house, they were shown through the hall into the saloon, whose northern aspect
rendered it delightful for summer. Its windows opening to the ground, admitted a most refreshing view of the high woody hills behind the house,
and of the beautiful oaks and Spanish chestnuts which were scattered over the intermediate lawn.

In this house they were received by Miss Darcy, who was sitting there with Mrs. Hurst and Miss
Bingley, and the lady with whom she lived in London. Georgiana's reception of them was very civil, but attended with all the embarrassment which,
though proceeding from shyness and the fear of doing wrong, would easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the belief of her being proud
and reserved. Mrs. Gardiner and her niece, however, did her justice, and pitied her.

By Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley they were noticed only by a curtsey; and, on their being seated,
a pause, awkward as such pauses must always be, succeeded for a few moments. It was first broken by Mrs. Annesley, a genteel, agreeable-looking
woman, whose endeavour to introduce some kind of discourse proved her to be more truly well-bred than either of the others; and between her and
Mrs. Gardiner, with occasional help from Elizabeth, the conversation was carried on. Miss Darcy looked as if she wished for courage enough to join
in it; and sometimes did venture a short sentence when there was least danger of its being heard.

Elizabeth soon saw that she was herself closely
watched by Miss Bingley, and that she could not speak a word, especially to Miss Darcy, without calling her attention.This observation would not have prevented her from trying to talk to the latter, had they not
been seated at an inconvenient distance; butshe was not sorry to be spared the necessity
of saying much.Her own thoughts were employing her.She expected every moment that some of the gentlemen
would enter the room.She wished, she feared that the master of the house
might be amongst them; and whether she wished or feared it most, she could scarcely determine.After sitting in this manner a quarter of an hour without hearing Miss Bingley's voice,
Elizabeth was roused by receiving from her a cold inquiry after the health of her family. She answered with equal indifference and brevity, and
the other said no more.

The next variation which their visit afforded was produced by the entrance of servants with cold
meat, cake, and a variety of all the finest fruits in season; but this did not take place till after many a significant look and smile from Mrs.
Annesley to Miss Darcy had been given, to remind her of her post. There was now employment for the whole party — for though they could not
all talk, they could all eat; and the beautiful pyramids of grapes, nectarines, and peaches soon collected them round the table.

While thus engaged, Elizabeth had a fair opportunity of deciding whether she most feared or
wished for the appearance of Mr. Darcy, by the feelings which prevailed on his entering the room;and then, thoughbut a moment before she had believed her wishes to
predominate,she began to regret that he came.

He had been some time with Mr. Gardiner, who, with two or three other gentlemen from the house,
was engaged by the river, and had left himonly on learning that the ladies of the family
intended a visit to Georgiana that morning.No sooner did he appear than Elizabeth wisely resolved to be perfectly easy and
unembarrassed; a resolution the more necessary to be made, but perhaps not the more easily kept,because she saw that the suspicions of the
whole party were awakened against them,and that there was scarcely an eye
which did not watch his behaviour when he first came into the room.In no countenance was attentive curiosity so strongly marked as in Miss Bingley's, in spite of
the smiles which overspread her face whenever she spoke to one of its objects; for jealousy had not yet made her desperate, and her attentions to
Mr. Darcy were by no means over. Miss Darcy, on her brother's entrance, exerted herself much more to talk, andElizabeth saw that he was anxious for his
sister and herself to get acquainted, and forwarded as much as possible, every attempt at conversation on either side.Miss Bingley saw all this likewise; and, in the imprudence of anger, took the first opportunity
of saying, with sneering civility:

“Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the ——shire Militia removed from Meryton? They
must be a great loss to your family.”

In Darcy's presence she dared not mention Wickham's name; but Elizabeth instantly comprehended that he was uppermost in her
thoughts;and the various recollections connected with him gave her a moment's distress; but exerting
herself vigorously to repel the ill-natured attack, she presently answered the question in a tolerably detached tone. While she spoke, an
involuntary glance showed her Darcy, with a heightened complexion, earnestly looking at her, and his sister overcome with confusion, and unable to
lift up her eyes. Had Miss Bingley known what pain she was then giving her beloved friend, she undoubtedly would have refrained from the hint; but
she had merely intended to discompose Elizabeth by bringing forward the idea of a man to whom she believed her partial, to make her betray a
sensibility which might injure her in Darcy's opinion, and, perhaps, to remind the latter of all the follies and absurdities by which some part of
her family were connected with that corps. Not a syllable had ever reached her of Miss Darcy's meditated elopement. To no creature had it been
revealed, where secrecy was possible, except to Elizabeth; and from all Bingley's connections her brother was particularly anxious to conceal it,
from the very wish which Elizabeth had long ago attributed to him, of their becoming hereafter her own. He had certainly formed such a plan, and
without meaning that it should effect his endeavour to separate him from Miss Bennet, it is probable that it might add something to his lively
concern for the welfare of his friend.

Elizabeth's collected behaviour, however, soon quieted his emotion; and as Miss Bingley, vexed
and disappointed, dared not approach nearer to Wickham, Georgiana also recovered in time, though not enough to be able to speak any more. Her
brother, whose eye she feared to meet, scarcely recollected her interest in the affair, and the very circumstance which had been designed to turn
his thoughts from Elizabeth seemed to have fixed them on her more and more cheerfully.

Their visit did not continue long after the question and answer above mentioned; and while Mr.
Darcy was attending them to their carriage Miss Bingley was venting her feelings in criticisms on Elizabeth's person, behaviour, and dress. But
Georgiana would not join her. Her brother's recommendation was enough to ensure her favour; his judgement could not err. And he had spoken in such
terms of Elizabeth as to leave Georgiana without the power of finding her otherwise than lovely and amiable. When Darcy returned to the saloon,
Miss Bingley could not help repeating to him some part of what she had been saying to his sister.

“How very ill Miss Eliza Bennet looks this morning, Mr. Darcy,” she cried; “I never in my life saw anyone so much altered as she is since the winter. She is
grown so brown and coarse! Louisa and I were agreeing that we should not have known her again.”

However little Mr. Darcy might have liked such an address,he contented himself with coolly replying that he perceived no other
alteration than her being rather tanned, no miraculous consequence of travelling in the summer.

“For my own part,” she rejoined, “I must confess that I never could see any beauty in her. Her face is too thin; her
complexion has no brilliancy; and her features are not at all handsome. Her nose wants character — there is nothing marked in its lines. Her
teeth are tolerable, but not out of the common way; and as for her eyes, which have sometimes been called so fine, I could never see anything
extraordinary in them. They have a sharp, shrewish look, which I do not like at all; and in her air altogether there is a self-sufficiency without
fashion, which is intolerable.”

Persuaded as Miss Bingley was that Darcy admired Elizabeth, this was not the best method of
recommending herself; but angry people are not always wise; and in seeing him at last look somewhat nettled, she had all the success she expected.
He was resolutely silent, however, and, from a determination of making him speak, she continued:

“I remember, when we first knew her in Hertfordshire, how amazed we all were to find
that she was a reputed beauty; and I particularly recollect your saying one night, after they had been dining at Netherfield, 'She a beauty! — I should as soon call her mother a wit.' But afterwards she seemed to improve on you, and I believe you thought her
rather pretty at one time.”“Yes,” replied Darcy, who could contain himself no longer, “but that was only when I first saw her, for it is many months
since I have considered her as one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance.”

He then went away, and Miss Bingley was left to all the satisfaction of having forced him to say
what gave no one any pain but herself.

Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth talked of all that had occurred during their visit, as they
returned, except what had particularly interested them both. The look and behaviour of everybody they had seen were discussed, except of the
person who had mostly engaged their attention. They talked of his sister, his friends, his house, his fruit — of everything but himself; yet
Elizabeth was longing to know what Mrs. Gardiner thought of him, and Mrs. Gardiner would have been highly gratified by her niece's beginning the
subject.